Empire of Brazil

(7 September 1822-15 November 1889) was a 19th-century state that encompassed the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay. Founded after the declaration of independence from Portugal, the Brazilian Empire was led by Dom Pedro I and his son, Dom Pedro II. Brazil was politically-stable, unlike its neighbors, and fielded a powerful army in all of its wars. In 1828, after the Cisplatine War, it lost control of Uruguay, which became an independent country. However, in 1836-37 it liberated Bolivian Amazonas and conquered Bolivian La Paz from Bolivia, expanding its borders. It further proved its strength intervening in the Uruguayan Civil Wars, the Platine War (1851-52), the Uruguayan War (1864-65), and the War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870), during which it provided a major army to assist their allies of Argentina and Uruguay (in some cases, factions of the two countries). In 1889, Brazil became a republic after the Brazilian Revolution.

History
The Brazilian Empire was declared on 7 September 1822 in the Brazilian Declaration of Independence, and on 12 October 1822 Dom Pedro I (the son of King Joao VI of Portugal) acceded the throne as the first Emperor. After defeating the army of Portugal in a few coastal sieges and skirmishes, Brazil became fully independent and on 25 March 1824 passed its Constitution, becoming a fully-independent country. As an infant Hispanic-American country, Brazil had political stability, vibrant economic growth, constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of speech and respect of civil rights for its subjects, and was a democratic country, although women and slaves both had lesser rights (slaves were not citizens). There was a bicameral parliament, consisting of the General Assembly Senate upper house and the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies lower house. Brazil was a multicultural nation with a huge population, ranging from white Brazilians to Afro-Brazilian and native Americans.

Brazil's first ruler, Dom Pedro I, was torn between several conflicts during his reign. On 10 December 1825, a secessionist revolt broke out in the province of Cisplatina among the Platineans, the main population of the country. The United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata were in support of the Thirty-Three Orientals, led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja, and the 6,000 Brazilian regular troops fought the 7,700 Argentine and Uruguayan regulars and militia. The Argentines defeated Brazil at the Battle of Sarandi, the naval Battle of Juncal, and the Battle of Ituzaingo, despite a Brazilian naval victory at the Battle of Monte Santiago on 8 April 1827. On 27 August 1828, Cisplatina became independent as Uruguay, a Spanish-speaking country, after the 1828 Treaty of Montevideo. However, Brazil was granted sovereignty over the Misiones Orientales, a land slightly to the north of the Banda Oriental. Dom Pedro I abdicated in 1831 after having a small tenure as King of Portugal from 10 March to 2 May 1836 at the same time as his Brazilian reign; now lacking popularity and having to face the stress of Portuguese affairs (assisting his daughter Maria II of Portugal's war with Miguelite faction leader Miguel I of Portugal in the Liberal Wars) in addition to Brazilian affairs (such as the free navigation of the Rio de la Plata granted to all powers in the Treaty of Montevideo, a national security risk for Brazil), he decided to give up his throne to his five-year-old son Dom Pedro II.

Pedro II required a regent for the early years of his reign, as he was still a minor. His regents defeated Bolivia in the Brazilian Liberation of Bolivian Amazonas from 26 May 1836 to 1 February 1837, gaining control of the Bolivian-occupied Amazonas region of Brazil as well as the Bolivian La Paz region; they also defused the On 18 July 1841 he was coronated.

Culture
As an Iberian-American and Lusophone nation, Brazil had Portuguese culture, with the national language being Brazilian Portuguese. The country was a diverse mix of whites, Africans, and Indians, although most of them were united by Catholicism. In an 1836 census, 62.7% of the population were white Brazilians, 32.5% Afro-Brazilians, 2.6% Amazonians, and 1.6% Guarani. 95.2% of the population was Catholic and the remaining 4.8% were animist, adhering to the ancient Native American beliefs.The country was dominated by farmers and slaves, a hallmark of the recently-independent Hispanic American countries, who had a history of Iberian slaveowners importing slaves from Africa, just across the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil's work force in 1836 was 61% farmers, 19.6% slaves, 8.8% artisans, 5.5% laborers, 1.9% soldiers, 1.9% aristocrats, 1.1% clergymen, .1% bureaucrats, and .1% officers. There were no capitalists, clerks, or craftsmen until years later.

Politics
Unlike its neighboring countries, Brazil was a stable country in terms of politics and economy. The country was a very conservative one, with the ideology being 75.1% conservative, 21.3% liberal, and 3.6% reactionary. The three major political factions in the country were the Partido Conservador, Partido Liberal, and Partido Caramuru. 67.3% of the electorate vote went to the Partido Conservador, 28.7% to the Partido Liberal, and 4% to the Partido Caramuru. The country was an HM's Government, and the Emperor of Brazil could appoint a ruling party. Elections took place every four years, but on 5 January 1839 he elected a new Liberal government a year early, as elections were due for 1840 instead. The liberals would pass reforms beneficial to the people, which could encourage immigration and therefore increase the power of the workforce and the military.